There are some legit questions concerning the advantages to using a digital front end to process an LP. At first blush, the idea seems foolish. I'm aware of that.
ALL playback systems involve compromise. There is no such thing as an absolute best playback system and there's always room for significant improvement in musical listening. IMO, the largest areas for improvement relate to speakers/room. This is the low hanging fruit in ALL systems.
Sometimes experts get hung up on one very small part of a very complex system. These experts will tell you something MUST BE a certain way because they know what's best. I respect those folks but I also know how people can lose their perspective in this hobby.
Having said the foregoing, I think digital and vinyl are really very compatible and need each other to some degree. The following is a list of places where I think digital can improve the SYSTEM performance in an otherwise vinyl system.
1. DSP. There's been a lot of research and anecdotal evidence which proves that target based time/frequency correction yields MASSIVE improvements to the musical listening experience. For me, this is beyond debate. It applies to ALL systems. This can't be done in a purely analog system.
2. DIGITAL CROSSOVERS. I strongly believe in using strategically setup subs. IMO, subs really shouldn't be incorporated into a full range speakers system without crossovers. However, subs should almost never be placed next to a FR speaker. The time, phase and frequency issues can easily be dealt with in the digital domain. The bass quality and dynamic range improvements cannot be questioned here either. This can't be done in a purely analog system.
3. RIAA. RIAA correction is both a frequency and a phase correction. It can be done in either analog or digital domain. Digital offers a much more advanced, lower noise and accurate method for implementing the RIAA filter. Fewer parts, components and much greater accuracy is possible with digital.
Now, the big question is whether these digital tricks are also a compromise which would outweigh their advatages. If digital is done right, the compromises are de minimis.
With regard to HF ringing, this can be best dealt with by adjusting the target curve according to listening preference. I don't think it will be worth it for me to fiddle with a variety of loads at the expense of something else, when I can easily adjust the target curve HF rolloff according to my SYSTEM.
Michael.
